Transcript reveals confusion over ferry evacuation

Sunday

Apr 20, 2014 at 6:00 AMApr 21, 2014 at 12:18 AM

JINDO, South Korea — Divers continued the grim work of recovering bodies from inside a sunken South Korean ferry today, as a newly released transcript showed the ship was crippled by confusion and indecision well after it began listing. The transcript suggests that the chaos may have added to a death toll that could eventually exceed 300.

About 30 minutes after the Sewol began tilting, a crew member asked a marine traffic controller whether passengers would be rescued if they abandoned ship off South Korea's southern coast, the transcript, released Sunday, showed. The crew member posed the question three times in succession.

That followed several statements from the ship that people aboard could not move and another in which someone said that it was ''impossible to broadcast'' instructions.

Many people followed the captain's initial order to stay below deck, where it is feared they remain trapped. Sixty-one bodies have been recovered, and about 240 people are still missing.